ALADDIN ; BTS AU

ACT I ; SCENE V

ONE HOUR EARLIER...

"Listen, be careful. There are some creeps, and they're going to try and talk to you, and woo you, so ignore them. Don't take your hood down. Also, if someone tries to give you candy, do not take it—"

"Yoongi."

"If you get lost, hug a tree!"

"Yoongi, we live in the desert. There are no trees."

And, please, for the love of God, do not have sex! Don't do drugs—"

"Yoongi!" Miyoung interrupted her brother's rambling. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him a little. They were in the shade of a cherry blossom tree, hidden by the shadows. Yoongi had created a distraction (he told Miyoung not to worry about what it was, which only made her more curious) so she could escape the palace walls unnoticed. "Get it together, man! It's not that deep!" She exclaimed, her voice a whisper-shout to avoid being heard and discovered. Yoongi's tense shoulders relaxed a little as he sighed, pulling his younger sister to his chest in a bear hug. "Gah!"

"Please, be safe. Dad will kill me if you die." He murmured. Miyoung scoffed, trying to squirm out of his embrace. She was dying to get out into the world, and Yoongi had good intentions, but she felt she might suffocate if she didn't get out soon.

"Good to know you're concerned about me." She said sarcastically. Yoongi only squeezed her tighter. "Yoongi—cutting—off—circulation." Finally, Yoongi's strong arms let her go, and Miyoung managed a small smile. Now, she could see the worry evident on his face. "You do realize I'm coming back, right? They're going to notice I'm missing eventually."

"I know. I'm sorry, noona." He sighed, biting his lower lip gently. "Just be careful."

"I will. Now help me up this wall, would you?" She whispered. Smiling nervously, Yoongi approached the wall, interlacing his hands in order to give her a boost. Miyoung stepped into his palms and began to climb the rock wall. Yoongi watched, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and biting the other's nails like a helicopter mom letting their kid go out by theirself for the first time. When Miyoung reached the top, she let out a heavy breath and smiled excitedly at Yoongi. "Good health, Yoongi." She said.

"Good health. Remember: have fun." He called up to her. Nodding and blowing her younger brother a quick kiss, she began to descend.

~

Miyoung didn't know what to do first. Culture shock practically smacked her across the face. Voices shouting prices and laughs and even singing filled the air of the marketplace, along with the scent of lamb skewers that made the princess's stomach growl. Smiling children ran around a performing street act, and Miyoung's heart contracted. She almost began to cry tears of happiness. She had never really gotten to run as a child, for fear of breaking the fragile items in the palace, so seeing so many children enjoy themselves and run freely was the cherry on top of the overwhelming cake.

Miyoung was snapped out of her happy daze by someone aggressively running into her. She stumbled, barely catching herself as she let out a soft groan. Turning around, her hood askew on her head, she looked up at the culprit. The second she did, her brain practically went into overdrive. His tan skin glistened with sweat, his muscles defined beneath the vest he wore. His black hair was windswept and tousled, his eyes as wide as hers must be. Pink lips parted as he breathed heavily, dark eyes taking in every available inch of her face. She became breathless, despite doing no physical excercise like he must have been doing, and her heart beat was erratic with a weird emotion that churned her stomach. Miyoung came to a conclusion in those few seconds of staring at the stranger: he was the most handome man she had ever seen, and no one, royal or not, could even attempt to rival him.